Archives for: June 2006

Wow! Who knew that trying to find the time to write a new entry could be so gosh-darned difficult? I’ve had notes sitting on my desk for the last two weeks, and yet every time I wanted to sit down and type it out, something would come up, and I would be distracted from the task at hand. I know that everything happens for a reason, but Geesh! *chuckle*

First of all, would the person who has the direct line to Mother Nature please call, and ask her to shut off her water sprinklers? Beginning a few days before Mother’s Day, and for the next 30 days, my little neck of the woods received almost 15 inches of rain. I think the longest that we have gone without any rain is three days. Even this morning, we once again received yet more rain. The type of rain that comes down so heavily, that when you look out the door, it looks like you’re looking through a heavy fog? Yes, that kind of heavy. I was half expecting to see my car float away.

And I gotta tell ya’, it’s getting really tiring, assembling and disassembling the ark every single time! It starts raining, I assemble the ark. It stops raining for a couple of days, so I disassemble. As soon as I start disassembling, it’s starts to rain again! Good thing I numbered all the planks and beams! And let me tell you, all of the animals aren’t too happy either! On the ark, off the ark, on the ark, off the ark. I think the elephants are conspiring with the skunks. And the Clan O’Kitties aren’t all that happy with the new houseguests. So I hope the rain ends soon, or I may end up getting it! *chuckle*

On to the obvious. In the news recently, there was an article discussing a study about women who gained weight having an increased risk for heartburn. Well, pardon the bluntness, but No S**t, Sherlock! Wait! Wait! Let me get Captain Obvious in here, and we’ll just make it a big ol’ party! I don’t know how much it cost to do this ‘study’, but allow me to introduce the ryan Cheney money-saving way:

Where does most fat deposit itself? That’s right, around the waist and abdomen. Very good. Now, since most weight accumulates there, what does all that extra weight do? Apply pressure to the internal organs. Now, what is the state of matter that would easily be displaced by such weight and subsequent pressure? Liquid! And what does liquid do when pressure is applied to it? It seeks the path of least resistance. What is stomach acid? That’s right, a liquid. Welcome to the one paragraph answer to the physical reasoning behind acid reflux disease. Foods that cause such symptoms, are a whole ‘nother issue. Food products with nitrates, and orange juice seem to be common causes for heartburn in us O’s. (Wow, I feel like I’m on a Peppermint Twist rant. LOL)

Now, let’s deal with the other BS of the day. Intermittent Explosive Disorder, or IED. Of course, my first thought was, whether the IED comes out of your mouth or backside, neither is a very pleasant matter. : ) Allow me to present you with the given definition for IED.

“Intermittent Explosive Disorder is where a person has defined episodes of violence precipitated by little provocation. These episodes begin and end very abruptly, but may last for hours. During and episode, the person experiences urges to break objects, feel confusion or suffer from amnesia. After the act however, they do display remorse and assume responsibility, generally.”

Hmmm....I’m no scientist, don’t play one on TV, and I’ve never stayed at a Holiday Inn Express, but I’m gonna take a guess on this one. So let me offer up my two cents on this one. (It’s o.k., I got paid today. I can afford it. *chuckle*)

Why does “IED” exist? Well, let’s look at the past, before we discuss the present. Years ago, did you ever hear of such occurrences? Nope. And if you did, it was usually a rare happening, because someone had snapped from longstanding issues. So, why did we never hear much of it before, and so much more now? Well, I’m gonna venture a guess, and say that modern civilization is to blame. In almost equal parts, modern technology, poor dietary habits, and a sedentary lifestyle. We are all created of energy, and that energy must be released through appropriate avenues. If not, it becomes pent up, and we have a catalyst for the outbursts noted above. Without physical labor or activity, that energy is not expended. As has been stated in the past, “Idle hands are the devil’s playground”.

I also believe that how the current, and past generations were/are raised has a part in IED as well. As children, many were not clearly taught what is and is not acceptable behavior. Parents tolerated, or ignored such outbursts from their children, more concerned with being their child’s friend, rather than a parent. Far too much of spoil the child, and spare the rod. IED’s seem to be the adult version of a child’s temper tantrum.

Another possible reason, in conjunction with one or both of the above, could be the amount of stress that people possess on any given day. Oftentimes, people try to squeeze far too much into their day, always on the run, and never taking time either for themselves, or to think matters through. All stress is self-imposed. Whether consciously realized or not, it is a choice. When we allow the negative thoughts or actions of those around us to control our own thoughts and actions, we have given up our own personal power to them. Why? Are you in control of your life, or are you allowing those around you to control it, instead?

The next time that an issues arises, ask yourself one question. “Is this a problem, or an inconvenience?”. If it’s an inconvenience, why waste time mulling over the matter? There are better things that you could be doing with your time. If it’s a problem, deal with it right then and there, and keep on truckin’. It’s your life. Don’t let those around you run it for you!

And....your computer tip for the day. No matter how well your anti-virus, or anti-spyware programs work, they may not always get everything. I de-virused two computers in the past couple of weeks. Even when all of my various software programs said that one computer was clean, it wasn’t. The virus that had made it’s way to the computer had installed itself in numerous areas of the computer. I had to use the search function, and find all of the files that were created within a certain window of time, and delete them. And even then, I had to dig deeper, because the time shown was not always the actual time that the file was created. With another virus, it had named files that were not to be found in any anti-virus/spyware database. Fortunately, stubbornness is one of a Cheney’s greatest traits. *chuckle* But at least I use that stubbornness for good. : ) So after more than a few Stare and Swear sessions, I have two computer users that are happy that they can once again use their computers.

May you all have a wonderful weekend. It’s time for me to go pound the weights, and be abused by my weightlifting partner.

May all that is yours by Divine Right find it’s way to you, under Grace, in Miraculous ways.